BOSTON- Monday, March 25, 2013- Governor Deval Patrick, State Treasurer Steven Grossman, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo announced today the appointment of members to the Special Public-Private Partnership Infrastructure Commission. The seven-member legislatively-mandated Commission reviews and approves all public-private partnership transportation infrastructure requests for proposals for design-build-finance-operate-maintain contract services.

Four members are appointed by the Governor and one each by the Senate President, House Speaker and State Treasurer.

The four members appointed by Governor Patrick to the Commission for a two-year period include:

· Congressman John W. Olver, Amherst- U.S. House of Representatives, 1991-January 2013; Ranking Member, House Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; recognized leader in advocating for innovative transportation infrastructure projects, including the John W. Olver Transit Center, Greenfield.

· Joseph P. Dorant, Saugus- President, Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists, professional employee union that represents 3,400 technical, engineering and scientific employees of 39 agencies of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

· Alan G. Macdonald, Winchester- current member, Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors; executive director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable for 23 years, chairman of the Transportation Advisory Committee, and member of the 2007 Transportation Finance Commission.

The three members appointed by Senate President Murray, House Speaker DeLeo and Treasurer Grossman include:

David Luberoff (appointed by Senate President)- senior project advisor to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study’s Boston Area Research Initiative; Executive Director of Harvard’s Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, 2004-2012.

John Vitagliano (appointed by House Speaker)- Winthrop, Principal, Seagull Consulting; former Massport Board Member; former City of Boston Transportation Commissioner.

Jessica Strunkin (appointed by State Treasurer)- Deputy Director, 495/MetroWest Partnership; previously Director of Government Affairs at the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce.

“These highly-qualified leaders will provide critical early input to ensure that transportation investments are made wisely,” said Governor Patrick.

“I am delighted to appoint Jessica Strunkin to this Commission,” said Treasurer Steven Grossman. “Her proven ability to work collaboratively with public and private organizations is evident in her work at the 495 Partnership. Her expertise in economic development and transportation will be an enormous asset to the group.”

Commission members must be experts with experience in transportation law, public policy, public finance, management consulting, transportation or organizational change. Commission members appointed by the Governor must include at least one member from the Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists.

Requests for proposal for a public-private agreement for design-build-finance-operate-maintain services must receive the commission’s written approval before being issued by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The commission, in reviewing the requests for proposals, will consider such issues as the proposed policies for overseeing a privately operated transportation facility; financial issues including taxation, profit-sharing, revenue producing ideas and the financial value of any state transportation facility involved; use of new technologies; and the anticipated advantages of entering into a public-private agreement for services.